Fluid pumps, and more particularly fuel pumps for pumping fuel, for example, from a fuel tank of a motor vehicle to an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle, are known. U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,361 to Yu et al. shows a typical electric fuel pump which includes an impeller located axially between stationary inlet and outlet plates. Rotation of the impeller by an electric motor pumps fuel to an outlet of the fuel pump such that an armature of the electric motor is located in the flow path taken by the fuel in order for the fuel to reach the outlet of the fuel pump. Consequently, the armature is an impedance to the flow of fuel, thereby reducing the efficiency of the fuel pump and increasing the energy needed to pump fuel. While the fuel delivery system for an internal combustion engine has not historically been concerned with energy consumption, the efforts to make internal combustion engines, and the vehicles with which they are included, even more efficient has brought the fuel pump into view as an area to improve efficiency.
What is needed is a fluid pump which minimizes or eliminates one or more of the shortcomings as set forth above.